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behold, I stood upon the bank of a river: and behold there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favoured; and they fed in a meadow and behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the lean and ill-favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favoured as at the beginning." And again I dreamed and “behold seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after them : and the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians, but there was none that could declare it unto me." As Pharaoh finished speaking, he rested his head thoughtfully upon his forefinger, for he feared some trouble was coming over his kingdom.

Then Joseph drew himself up, and raising his arm, spoke like a man inspired by God. He said that instead of being two different dreams, they were but one, as both meant the same thing; and

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that, in this dream, God showed Pharaoh what he was about to do. He said that the seven fat kine and the seven full ears of corn signified that there would be seven years of plenty, during which there would be abundance of corn and cattle and all good things; but that the seven thin, ill-favoured kine, and the seven empty, blasted ears of corn, signified seven years of famine."

"What God is about to do, he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

"Behold there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

"And there shall arise after them, seven years of famine and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land."

He said that the dream was doubled to make more impression on Pharaoh, and to shew that it was quite determined by God and would soon come to pass. He advised Pharaoh to choose some wise and discreet man, who should have power to examine all the land, and to lay up a fifth part of the corn and cattle which was produced during the years of plenty, in order to make a store against the years of famine.

Pharaoh thought that this advice was good, and he said to Joseph, “Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art." He, therefore, appointed Joseph to be over all his people, and "set him over all the land of Egypt."

We see in Raffaelle's picture how nobly he has represented the thoughtful Pharaoh and the inspired Joseph.

No. V.

MOSES IN THE BULRUSHES.

WOULD you not like to know who that pretty

baby is, and how he comes to be lying so

near the water's edge? and what that crowd of women are doing, who surround him with looks of admiration and pity? This poor little child, who was so near losing his life at so early an age, is Moses. I will tell you how it happened that he was exposed in this cruel way, and how he was preserved to perform all the wonders which you will read of, in the Bible, when you are a little older.

Some years after the death of Joseph, when the Hebrew people who had come into Egypt during his lifetime, had increased very much in number, there was a new king of that country, who had never known Joseph, nor all the good things which he had done for the Egyptian people. people. This king was alarmed at seeing such great numbers of Hebrews

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